History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Called Frederick the Great facts for kids
Title page of the first English edition
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| Author | Thomas Carlyle |
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| Language | English |
| Subject | Frederick the Great |
| Published | 1858–1865 |
| Publisher | Chapman and Hall |
History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Called Frederick the Great is a huge biography (a book about someone's life) of Friedrich II of Prussia, who is better known as Frederick the Great. He was a famous king of Prussia. This long book series was written by a Scottish writer and historian named Thomas Carlyle. It was first published in six separate books (or "volumes") between 1858 and 1865. The book tells the story of Frederick the Great's life, from when he was born until he became a powerful ruler.
Contents
How the Book Was Written
Thomas Carlyle became interested in Frederick the Great way back in 1819. He liked to quote Frederick's saying, "Another time we will do better." Carlyle first thought about writing a book on Frederick in 1830. He even sent a letter suggesting the idea to a publisher.
Carlyle's interest in Frederick never went away. He started reading a new book about Frederick in 1845. This made him feel that Frederick was a true hero, someone worthy of a great story. He began his own research for the book in 1851.
Researching Frederick the Great's Life
Writing the book was slow at first. Carlyle had some doubts about the project and found it hard to get all the information he needed. But he kept going, writing many notes. Today, a large collection of his notes is kept at Yale University.
Different helpers assisted Carlyle with his research. They visited places like the British Library to find facts and copied parts from German history books. Carlyle also bought many books about German history. He later left many of these books to Harvard University.
A Special Writing Room
In 1854, Carlyle had a special soundproof room built in his house. This room was at the very top of his home on Cheyne Row. He wanted to block out noise from his neighbors and the street. He wrote most of the Frederick book in this quiet room.
Publishing the Volumes
Carlyle finished the first two volumes of the book in 1856. They were published in 1858. He felt very tired and even said the work seemed "worth nothing" to him. But people liked the first two books, which encouraged him.
He then made a second trip to Germany in 1858. This trip was mainly to study 12 of Frederick the Great's battlefields. He wrote about this journey in his notes. Carlyle had first planned to write four volumes, but he soon realized he would need six. The first two books only covered Frederick's life up to 1740.
He hoped to finish the book in two more years, but it actually took seven. The third volume came out in 1862, the fourth in 1864, and the last two in 1865. Carlyle was 70 years old when the final volume was published. By then, his writing hand had started to shake.
What's Inside the Book
The book is divided into 21 main parts, which Carlyle called "books," plus an appendix. Each "book" covers a different period or event in Frederick the Great's life and the history around him.
- Book I: Birth and Parentage (1712)
- Book II: Of Brandenburg and the Hohenzollerns (928 - 1417)
- Book III: The Hohenzollerns in Brandenburg (1412 - 1718)
- Book IV: Friedrich's Apprenticeship, First Stage (1713 - 1728)
- Book V: Double-Marriage Project, and What Element It Fell Into (1723 - 1726)
- Book VI: Double-Marriage Project, and Crown-Prince, Going Adrift Under the Storm-Winds (1727 - 1730)
- Book VII: Fearful Shipwreck of the Double-Marriage Project (February - November 1730)
- Book VIII: Crown-Prince Retrieved: Life at Custrin (November 1730 - February 1732)
- Book IX: Last Stage of Friedrich's Apprenticeship: Life in Ruppin (1732 - 1736)
- Book X: At Rheinsberg (1736 - 1740)
- Book XI: Friedrich Takes the Reins in Hand (June - December 1740)
- Book XII: First Silesian War, Awakening a General European One, Begins (December 1740 - May 1741)
- Book XIII: First Silesian War, Leaving the General European One Ablaze All Round, Gets Ended (May 1741 - July 1742)
- Book XIV: The Surrounding European War Does Not End (August 1742 - July 1744)
- Book XV: Second Silesian War, Important Episode in the General European One (15 August 1744 - 25 December 1745)
- Book XVI: The Ten Years of Peace (1746 - 1756)
- Book XVII: The Seven-Years War: First Campaign (1756 - 1757)
- Book XVIII: Seven-Years War Rises to a Height (1757 - 1759)
- Book XIX: Friedrich Like to Be Overwhelmed in the Seven-Years War (1759 - 1760)
- Book XX: Friedrich is Not to Be Overwhelmed: The Seven-Years War Gradually Ends (25 April 1760 - 15 February 1763)
- Book XXI: Afternoon and Evening of Friedrich's Life (1763 - 1786)
- Appendix
